High-flyers of the class of '09Emma Quayle | November 22, 2009 HAVING compiled this list three times now, lessons have been learnt. First, you can watch a player too much. Second, every player has fl aws and it's easy to become hung up on one perceived problem area.
Stephen Hill and Daniel Rich were probably ranked too low on my 2008 list, although there's no one rated above them that I'd be looking to move, but Michael Hurley at 13? Ouch. I was a big fan this time last year, loved his long kicking and ability to read the play, but wondered if he had enough pace off the mark to keep up with fast-leading forwards. Hurley doesn't have great pace, but it hasn't yet been exposed - maybe it will be in time, perhaps it won't. Regardless, his many other abilities combined to make his first season a very good one and I learnt not to overthink things. Hurley aside, I think my 2008 list looks OK.
This is a difficult exercise because you constantly look through the list and realise you have a player too far down the order. You think, ‘No, that's not right', move them, then go through the exact same process with another.
Apologies this year to South Australian pair Matthew Panos and James Craig, West Australians Mitch Duncan, Gerrick Weedon and Travis Colyer, as well as midfielders Josh Thomas, Allen Christensen and Anthony Long, and Geelong defender Joe Dare. And to Luke Ball, who I decided not to include given the purpose of this exercise is largely to introduce the young players. Remember, these are my personal thoughts on this year's group, not a mock draft or a list of where I think players will be picked. It's based on watching the players live, trawling through tapes and talking to them and the people who know them well. Let's wait three years and see how it looks.
1. JACK TRENGOVE (18, Sturt, 185cm, 84kg) I have no idea how the Demons would have split Trengove and Scully had Jordan McMahon not delivered them a priority pick with his postsiren goal for a four-point Richmond win in round 18. I've spent the past week changing my mind repeatedly, but in the end I believe Trengove has it all: he's quick enough, his endurance is top notch and, more importantly, he is already a smart runner, who knows exactly where he needs to be. Watching his under-18 games with South Australia, you'd sometimes think, ‘Who laid that block? Who trapped that ball?' More often than not, it would have been him. He stays involved in the play and has a great feel for what's going on. He's at No. 1 mostly on gut feel and also because he's such a good mark. He could go forward in the last quarter, take a few marks out of the square and kick a few crunch goals.
2. TOM SCULLY (18, Dandenong Stingrays, 182cm, 77kg) Scully runs harder, for longer and with more purpose than any other player in the draft. He already plays like an AFL player. He has quick, brilliant hands, he makes good decisions and he makes them the instant his hands touch the ball, which makes him so good in close. He makes his teammates better players because he puts them in ideal situations. He'll grind opponents out of games, yet his pace looks fine, as does his kicking. He is a megaprofessional, a perfectionist. He'll get the absolute most out of himself from day one of training and has a nice bit of steel to his personality.
3. DUSTIN MARTIN (18, Bendigo Pioneers, 186cm, 88kg) Meet Martin and you feel you're talking to someone in his 30s. He's an adult – likeable, but hard-nosed and very strong-minded, which comes through in his footy. He keeps his feet and stays upright - with his eyes up - when tackled, allowing him to squeeze the ball out to sensible spots while being grabbed. He'll just have to figure out how much time he's got to get rid of it at the higher level, and do his share of the tackling. In space, he's a beautiful kick on both sides and able to slip forward and take a mark. Martin has only had one year in the TAC Cup system, has plenty of scope and will love being a full-time footballer.
4. GARY ROHAN (18, Geelong Falcons, 188cm, 82kg) Watching Rohan play, you sometimes feel you want to cover your eyes. He'll hurl himself into a mark, turn, take off and you have no clue what's going to happen next. He's the most exhilarating player in the pool. He does many things at once and while he makes some errors, he can disrupt the rhythm of a game. He doesn't win huge possessions, but he has the ability to stress out other players by chasing them, causing turnovers. He's coming from a long way back - he played for Cobden last year and trained only one night a week with the Falcons this year - but you get the sense he'll fl ourish once he gets into an AFL club and starts to understand how good he could be.
5. JOHN BUTCHER (18, Gippsland Power, 197cm, 87kg) Butcher takes pack marks, is a speedy lead and draws multiple opponents. He had hip surgery last December and didn't get in a huge pre-season, which surely affected him in his second year in the under-18s. His kicking action needs work, but this is as far as I want to let him drop. He'll start work on his kick every single day once he gets to his new club and while he missed a lot of shots this year, he also had about 70 of them. If he doesn't mark the ball, his opponent generally doesn't either, and natural forwards who take contested marks don't come around often.
6. JAKE MELKSHAM (18, Calder Cannons, 185cm, 75kg)After a slow start to the season, Melksham fl ew home. He's quick enough, once he gets wound up, and always on the move. He can reach in and wrench the ball out of tight spots, keep it moving as he slides through packs and uses it well when it's fed his way. Some of his kicking is weighted so well that it makes life a lot easier for his forwards. He can also throw in a nice, well-timed mark or two, getting good height off a minimal run-up.
7. BEN CUNNINGTON (18, Geelong Falcons, 185cm, 84kg) Supporters will adore Cunnington as soon as they see him. He's tough, will do anything for his team and while he perhaps doesn't have the polish of some of the other midfielders, his skills are fine and his determination to a) not let anyone beat him to the ball and b) tackle, chase, smother and shepherd add another layer to his CV. His marking is another big plus. He reads the play well as a forward and is a strong overhead mark, even when opponents are right on his hammer - in fact, especially when opponents are on his hammer. Dedicated, determined and a safe bet.
8. JASPER McMILLAN-PITTARD (18, Geelong Falcons, 186cm, 71kg) At first glance, Jasper looks like a scrawny half-back fl anker. He is a scrawny half-back fl anker. But the way I see it, he has every ability required to play AFL footy, minus seven or eight kilograms. He's a smooth, smart, switched-on player who can get up onto the wings and deliver nice left-foot passes. Some added size will make his spoiling ability even more valuable, and Jasper thinks a split-second faster than those around him. It's like he instinctively knows where everyone is, what they're doing and what they're most likely to do next, allowing him to find ways past and around them. He's a favourite.
9. ANTHONY MORABITO (18, Peel Thunder, 191cm, 97kg) Big, fast, powerful and able to leap buildings in a single bound. Morabito plays like he's wearing jet-powered boots, such is his pace and ability to change gear. Like Rohan, he's exciting to watch when he snatches the ball and bolts off with it. Again, he can make mistakes and try to do too much, but at his height and with his speed, playing on a wing, he could prove very tricky to match up. I hope I don't have him too low.
10. CALLUM BARTLETT (18, Geelong Falcons, 179cm, 75kg) Bartlett hasn't played this season due to a knee reconstruction after tearing an ACL at training ahead of round one. It's tough to say where he'll get drafted – he could go anywhere between 17 and 30, perhaps – but his rehab has gone well and he will be well worth the risk. He is incredibly quick and a bold, catch-me-if-youcan type runner. He knows exactly where he wants to go. There are a lot of unobtrusive midfield types in this draft, but he's not one of them.
11. LEWIS JETTA (20, Swan Districts, 181cm, 69kg) Jetta is vibrant, skilful and quick, quick, quick. Don't think of him as a small forward - he may start there, but he's an Andrew Lovett-style midfi elder who fl ashes past fl ailing arms as he zooms, bouncing, down the ground. He knows where he needs to be to cause damage, and can do some freaky things.
12. AARON BLACK (18, Peel Thunder, 192cm, 82kg) Black is a late-ish bloomer, finding form through the middle of the year after missing the WA under-18 championship team and making his senior WAFL debut by the end of the season. While I would have liked to have seen more of him, I've seen enough to feel confident placing him here. He can haul in marks when he seems in an awkward position and is a lightfooted, nimble player who can take off for a run, pluck loose balls off the ground and cover plenty of ground.
13. DANIEL TALIA (18, Calder Cannons, 194kg, 90kg) Talia looks like he could legitimately play at either end. As a key back, he has a calm, assured air about him, yet at the same time has plenty of energy and bounce. He takes a crisp mark yet stays involved when the ball is on the ground. He reads it off hands well, which makes him handy around bounces and throw-ins. His season ended early due to hamstring tendonitis, but he's ready now to train again.
14. ANDREW MOORE (18, Eastern Ranges, 189cm, 86kg) Where will Moore end up playing - that's my question? Half-forward or half-back look the go, or perhaps the midfield. Whatever the case, he is one of the smartest in this draft. He generally takes the best option and can adapt to changing roles on the run. He's tough, skilful and and his marking is so clean. You can almost hear the ball clunking into his hands from the stands.
15. TROY TAYLOR (18, NT Thunder, 189cm, 77kg) Taylor has some special talent. He's quick, can scoop up ground balls swiftly and make good decisions while doing so. He's got the sidestep and the leap, he can outmark players he looks too short to outmark and he has an absolute eye for the impossible goal. He's good fun to watch. After getting into some serious trouble as a kid in Darwin, he has things together and has a great opportunity ahead of him. Once he starts to understand what he could achieve, he could be anything.
16. BRAD SHEPPARD (18, East Fremantle, 186cm, 81kg) Will Sheppard be a half-back fl anker at AFL level, or push into the midfi eld? That's probably the biggest question about him. He is a neat, sleek, smart player who can get things going while in space, yet at the same time relishes the chance to back back and spoil. His teammates seem confident in him - throughout the national under-18s championships they often looked for him as they pushed into attack from half-back.
17. RYAN BASTINAC (18, Dandenong Stingrays, 184cm, 77kg) Bastinac is one of the best kicks in the draft and another good-at-everything type. He wins plenty of the ball in close and that, combined with his vision, foot skills and willingness to tackle makes him a solid midfield prospect. He'll run, run and run, he's a willing tackler and a sensible player who thinks things through.
18. KANE LUCAS (18, East Fremantle, 187cm, 79kg) Lucas, like a few onballers in this draft, doesn't have one clear, eye-catching quality that forces you to notice him. He's simply a solid player - if an inconsistent kick - with good pace, great endurance, a good leap, and pretty good hands. He has great balance and can slip and slide through busy packs, spin off players and involve himself two or three times in a single piece of play. A great attitude, from all reports.
19. KOBY STEVENS (18, Gippsland Power, 187cm, 84kg) Stevens is a ferocious midfielder who will give you everything he has. He can be an unobtrusive player and sometimes you only appreciate his tackles, blocks and extra efforts after re-watching a game. He loves to punch out a handball and he can sit his kicks up, but someone needs to get the ball and Stevens always takes it on himself to do so. He's on the way back from osteitis pubis and has shown plenty of leadership potential.
20. JORDAN GYSBERTS (18, Eastern Ranges, 189cm, 82kg) Like Stevens, Lucas and a few others this year, Gysberts plays a subtle game that at times you don't take in properly while it's unfolding. I'm a big fan and love how he tries to look after his teammates by grabbing the ball and feeding off quick handballs to set them into space. Sometimes I want to see him assert himself a little bit more - perhaps be a little less generous - but maybe that's too picky.
21. BEN GRIFFITHS (18, Eastern Ranges, 199cm, 98kg) Griffiths is a beast - a very big, very strong, imposing key forward - and those types aren't common. The problem is he'll do things that make you think “wow” - take a big contested mark, kick a thumping goal - then get injured in the very next minute. He'll have a shoulder reconstruction this week and that's the query: will he be fixed for good, or take ages to get his body going?
22. NATHAN VARDY (18, Gippsland Power, 198cm, 94kg)There aren't too many ruckmen around this year, but Vardy is the pick of them. He seems to get some good hang time, almost creating time during a ruck contest to place the ball right where he wants it to go. He's quick and agile enough to become useful around the ground - he seems to want the footy - and he can pluck a nice mark.
23. LUKE TAPSCOTT (18, North Adelaide, 180cm, 87kg) Tapscott is a strong-bodied, crashbang midfield/forward who perhaps boasts the best kick in the draft. I'm worried already that I have him too low, but I probably see others as more ready-to-go in a midfield role. That said, he's a player you couldn't allow too much space around the top of the 50, because he'll kick thumping goals.
24. JAKE CARLISLE (18, Calder Cannons, 197cm, 87kg) Carlisle is another to have shown promise at both ends of the ground. He's a nimble, stretchy sort of player who leaps, lunges and seems to relish the small contests-withincontests, like getting to the front of his man or making a spoil when he looks a step too far away. Played cricket seriously until recently.
25. SAM REID (18, Murray Bushrangers, 194cm, 87kg) Reid gets in a smidgen ahead of North Adelaide ruckman James Craig, who has a big leap and lots of oomph. Reid, the brother of Collingwood player Ben, does his job in quieter style, but goes for his marks if they're there and seems diligent and fairly calm, which I like in a defender. He has the speed and endurance to do those things at a higher level.
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